Memory Lane
by FallenAngel190
Summary: Hermione returns home years after graduating, and unavoidably has to face her demons.  But is she really ready? Or could there have been another way? Not entirely DH compatible! Rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

AN - I own nothing, but the plot! All characters belong to J.K Rowling... Read and Criticize! :)

* * *

Throwing herself on the divan of her new house in Dorset and gently placing her bag on the glass coffee table, Hermione called her husband's name to make her presence known. He yelled a simple "Hi" in return, not bothering to leave his newer, bigger office. They had just moved to this place, his idea actually, saying their old, terraced house was not enough for him to expand his interest in Auror practice. Snorting in self-disgust at having yielded to every plan he came up with, Hermione started to massage her temples in a small circular motion. Looking upside down at the clock on the other side of where she was lying she noted the time. She still had two hours until her little angel returned home from school.

Her angel, the little, yet bright, light of her life: Cristina… the constant reminder of what she could never have. She let her eyes drift to a close, to isolate herself from her surroundings, to emerge in her world of dreams, the unattainable fantasy she reminded herself of constantly.

She revisited a memory which took place ten years, two months and fifteen days previously. It was the first of September, the first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. She had been a plain girl, chocolaty brown eyes with matching hair colour, accompanied with a frizz. Hermione had a knack of observing people, something she had inherited from her mother. She looked around her observing the personal fears of the students around her, as well as the excitement and the general babble. She listened to everyone yet no one at all. It was then that she laid her eyes upon him the first time. Blue-gray eyes, soft yet unyielding... characterizing a strong personality. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath hitched as those eyes met hers. He had been chatting with two burly boys, but the conversation seemed to have been uninteresting because his eyes had been scanning the crowd when they caught hers.

She saw her sorting. When Professor McGonagall called her name she ran to the platform and jammed the hat to her head and waited anxiously for a reply. She remembered her new Gryffindor housemates cheering as she joined their table. She saw herself attending her first classes, making tentative friendships with her new classmates. She relived her anxiety of being accepted, of finding true friends.

I came back to reality, for tears were streaming down my face. As usual they came unbidden, showing how much I missed the old times, the old us. I wanted the old trio to be back, the golden trio with all our adventures against evil and the troubles we used to cause. I wanted us to be naïve again, but without the pressures the wizarding society placed on us. We had been expected to pair off: Harry with Ginny; Ron and I. Harry and Ginny, called it quits after some time, both moving off for separate lives, but us two, we were more twisted than that. I was Hermione, the bookworm, and Ron the impulsive one. Everyone thought we were destined to be, until those blue-gray eyes which haunt me to this day laid a seed in my heart, which blossomed into a rose tree; the thorns tearing through my heart, but giving me a beautiful rose in the end.

Taking a deep breath, I temporarily closed my eyes one more time and swung my legs off the divan. I stood up and looked at the clock again. Cristina still had a bit less than an hour to arrive, might as well prepare something for her to eat.

Switching myself to automatic mode I went to the kitchen and started to prepare one of the meals my baby loved. Focusing on the task at hand helped me bury all my thoughts. Midway through my preparation my beloved husband honored me with his presence for a couple of minutes until he brewed himself a tea.

"Ron, are you eating with us?" I asked him in one of my most gentle tones.

He replied, "My apologies luv, I got a business lunch in an hour and a half. I'm not going to eat twice am I not?" This had become a very frequent excuse, even though he never seemed to thin up a little bit.

"No worries, I was just preparing something for Cri. She will come home hungry as always. You know, I could have left you a portion. Where's this lunch at?" I smiled.

"I hate to disappoint me hearty. Jus' cannot miss this lunch at all!" he answered, evading my question completely.

The kettle whistled saving him from any further explanations and he poured himself the tea and hurriedly left the kitchen. I swirled around, bursting into laughter. How innocent did my husband think I was? Sure, I pretended not to notice, but I knew the difference when he came home from a business lunch or a lunch with _her._ When he dined with her, he came home happy, sated even. Business lunches, however successful they were, left him to return to his lab until the wee hours of morning and return to bed in a drunken stupor.

Soon the bell rang. I ran for the door, grinning. "Mama!" and a numbing hug was what greeted me as soon as I opened the door. "Angel" I replied with the same enthusiasm as my four-and-a-half year old daughter. I hoisted her up and planted a kiss on her nose, which she returned. I closed the door, whilst Cristina began to enlighten me with the gossip at school. Carrying her to the dining room I sat her down on her chair and brought our food to the table. Being a slow eater and the family drama-queen, my Cristina took a long time to finish her food. Just by looking at her, I could not help but notice the striking similarities between her and her father. The hair, the smile, her expression, were all his. I smiled proudly at her. Our daughter.

I fondly shooed her upstairs to say hello to daddy, and informed her on the way that her daddy had a business lunch. "Again?" she asked. Rolling her eyes she started her journey upstairs. Smirking to myself, I realized how in actual fact my daughter was like us. Wise beyond her years, in some ways it felt I was dealing with an adult not a child. She saw through my husband way better than I did. Maybe her inexperience in this world did not let her realize what Ron was doing but, deep down, I knew that she realized something was not right.

Putting all the cutlery and plates in the dishwasher and switching it on, I followed my daughter upstairs to give her the much required bath. I found her interrogating my husband.

"But dad," she was saying "How come you are going to a business lunch with that shirt and no tie? You need to look professional."

He glared at her and out of the corner of his eye he saw me hovering at the doorway. "What kind of bullocks are you telling her? Are you turning her against me? What in the hell have I done?"

I could not help it, I burst out laughing. At that same moment my daughter, in a voice that would have done any headmistress proud replied, "You and your bullocks, that's all you're good at. Mummy did not say anything to me about you and your stupid business meetings. I am telling you myself! Normal daddies stay and eat with their family, and talk to their children and not like you do to me!"

I was surprised and even more so was he. I looked at Ron with accusing eyes, a look which he returned with a level of hatred. "I suppose you got your answer alright luv." I replied, imitating his accent whilst smirking at him. I continued, "Come on babe; let's run a bath for you." Cristina jumped from the bed and grabbing my arm she half dragged me to her bathroom.

When we got there she whispered hurriedly, "Mummy are you going to be angry at me?"

Smiling at my princess, I answered her with a sure voice, "Definitely not babe… how can I be angry at you if what you have said is true?" I gave her a peck on the cheek to reassure her. She sighed happily and proceeded to the filling up of her bath. Faintly I heard the front door open and then close with a dull bang… and then, there was silence. We were safe now.

Cristina was playing with her rubber duck, dunking it in the water and letting it pop back up to the surface, each time gurgling with laughter. She said something about wanting more water in the bath, and I told her no. Suddenly, I saw the knob turn and water dripped from the tap. I looked at my daughter and smiled.

"Crissy, did you do that?"

"Momma, I don't know what happens. It happened before. I didn't touch it!" Her eyes were welling up with tears, thinking that she was going to be in trouble.

I smiled at her and gave her a squeeze. "You're a witch, my angel. Daddy would have been so proud of you."

"A witch? Like that of Wizard of Oz? The fairytale?"

I could not stop grinning. "The good witch of course of Wizard of Oz my love, the good witch. You have two very powerful parents, and you're going to be better than them. I just know it." On seeing my weakened moment Cristina decided to show off a little bit and with a glint exactly like her father's magically deflected some of the running water in my face.

* * *

Hours later he came home, on cloud nine. He even greeted me in the living room with a smile and a brushing kiss. As he leaned towards me, I could inhale her scent upon him. "How did the meeting go babe?" Trying to make the utmost of his cheery mood.

"Oh so good, so good…" He said it in a voice that hinted that he was replaying the scenes in his head over and over again. With a speed that was nearly instinctive, I picked this up from him.

I smiled at him and returned his kiss while murmuring, "I'm pleased."

He touched my cheek, and as moments like this were rare, I leaned in his hand, savoring every moment. I was deprived of all this attention. It had stopped when he had started seeing her, and before that, there was no passion between us… no love… no affection. It was just a need to settle down.

"Let us go to bed lass," he said softly.

I gave a brief nod, and he lifted me up and carried me to our bed. Deep inside my twisted soul I was content, I had gotten him finally, even if it was after an evening with her. Yet, at the same time I didn't want to be second best. I didn't want to fill in her shoes. She was the bitch. In the living room… it had been a moment of weakness. In his arms I found strength, something which normally one uses to help his partner, mine… it was revengeful. I had made the right choice.

He laid me on the bed and had started to undress himself when he noticed my change in expression. "What is it luv?"

I smirked. "You don't know it? How dare you touch me when you stink of _her_." My words came out like a venomous poison, willing it to sink in and work its magic. He faltered. The moment was definitely ruined. I continued, "I have been willing to let myself live this life, this miserable life for years… years! At least you never touched me until you had a shower and removed her smell. But today, now… How dare you?"

He looked deep in my eyes and said, "You knew?"

"Of course I did! I have known all along what was going on. Do you think I never realized? I remained here because it never really affected me. Now, I just do not know how to go on."

"I am sorry."

"Sorry?" My voice seemed to be rising in its pitch. I cast a wandless silencing spell around us, not to wake up my daughter. "Sorry is not enough. I have had enough. I am not your waste, I am not your bitch. I am your wife, she's your whore. I want out."

"Out?"

"What in the fucking hell do you expect? That I sit here and go on living the so called, happy life?"

Changing tactics he said, "You have no proof of this."

"Seriously, I worked all these years with patients who had problems in their lives, problems much worse than this. They did not know how to handle it. I know I can, and I have handled it my way. I am not chucking you out because you paid your share of this house, so I am staying in the guest room tonight. Find a lawyer if you want. I filed a case in court already. Don't speak to me in the meantime. Oh and for the record, I'm planning to get Crissy's custody."

"You're leaving me?"

"For the time being, I'll be in the next room. Goodnight."


	2. Chapter 2

AN - I own nothing, but the plot! All characters belong to J.K Rowling... Read and Criticize! :)

* * *

When morning came I woke my daughter up gave her a quick shower and made breakfast for her. I heard no sound coming from the bedroom where he had slept, so I assumed he was still asleep. Cristina left for school and I started my journey to the upstairs room so as to remove my clothing items from our sharing bedroom and ship them in my daughter's for the time being. I knocked the door, giving it a sharp tap, in the case that he was still asleep; I would not wake him up with my presence. But I received no answer or heard no sound from within. I opened the door, and stepped into the threshold. What I saw made my day. Wardrobes open, bed was still made and a hasty sock left on the floor. He had left! I checked my wardrobe to ensure that my items were still there as well as my dresser. In there I found a note addressed to me.

I moved towards the edge of the bed and sat down. I looked at the envelope addressed to me in his untidy scrawl and slowly, unbelievingly I opened it and started to read.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I hope I placed it in a place where you'll find it very soon and will be able to use this to your advantage. As you can see, I have left. I packed what was mine and left from this house. Hopefully where I am going I will be accepted and have a place to sleep tonight, if not… well, that will be up to me. _

_I need to tell you the story about me and Laura, for that is her name. We were brought up together, had been lovers since we were little kids, childhood sweethearts you can say. I always wanted to marry her, to be with her but, fate… well it wanted something else from us. I had met you in Hogwarts. You were everything I was not, you had the brains, the looks. People looked up to you, treated you with respect, which I have to say you very well deserve. Don't take it as offence lass, I did love you and I still do, but to me, you are just a sister, a friend. All I ever wanted was her. I need to admit this, I wanted one girl, had two for some time, now… I am not sure if I'll even get one!_

_I know I cheated on you and it was wrong. I am stating the obvious, and most probably you're rolling your eyes at the moment. You see, in these years, I did learn your ways. I did not expect this breakup to be so soon, but, I knew it was coming eventually. Sooner or later I had to let go, of either you or her. _

_About Cristina, if you wish to have full consent of our daughter, then I'm not a monster, I will let you have her. After all, she barely knows me. _

_I do not want to make this hard for you. Out of my respect for you I am trying my best to help you get the separation over and done with. I still want us to be friends, we shared years together, and I do wish to talk to my daughter, even if it is just a 5 minute conversation on the phone. Also, I would like to keep the house after our separation. You never really liked it, and I was a monster to make you live here. I am going to stay out of it until the court clears everything up, so do not bother change the locks. I will get someone to estimate the house value and then I will give you your share of the price._

_Mione, you never deserved me. You deserved better, much better. In case you need to talk to me about any matter at all, please do so. I will see you in court in case nothing comes up in the meantime._

_Regards,_

_Ron._

I was stunned into silence. This was perfect! I phoned my lawyer instantly. I told him about the letter and he asked me to drop by his office so he'll be able to see what to make out of this. On arriving at the office he inspected everything. He too was shocked at the unexpected turn of events. Warning me about not keeping my daughter out of my sight, he went on to say that the case was definitely ours, provided my husband, did not think of something else.

I dropped by at the clinic and explained the situation to my colleague and asked her to take over my clients for the day, which she did. Things were turning out to be brilliant today. Exiting the clinic, I looked at the world from a different perspective. I was on a journey to being the old Hermione I was, well, excluding the age difference.

Skipping on the sidewalk and humming a tune Hermione never felt happier. She was attracting stares from the passersby but she wouldn't and couldn't care less. Arriving to a shopping mall she entered, deciding that after all she did need therapy... "Nothing beats shopping therapy," she thought with a smile. Laden with a dozen bags or so, both for her and her daughter she apparated home, just in time to see her angel arrive.

"Baby!" Hermione yelled

"Mamma!" came the enthusiastic reply. "What have you bought me?"

"I'll show them to you then we'll pack. We're going home baby."

"Home?" Cristina hitched her blonde eyebrow. "Where is home?"

"Away from here my love, away from here."

Packing was easier said than done. Cristina wanted to know how I did magic and being the daughter of the top student at Hogwarts, questions were one of her fortes... mostly at the time I needed them the least. A couple of packing and shrinking charms later, and we were ready to go. For Crissy all this was an adventure, for me, a fresh start and the raising of old demons.

* * *

Apparating to her parents' doorstep, Hermione looked around at how much things had changed. She had been away for so long... she missed this place so much it hurt. There came a small tug on her left jeans leg.

"Are we going to knock?"

I knocked and soon enough, mum opened the door. She had changed so much! Lines were etched around her eyes and her hair seemed to have more white on the sides then I remembered. But when she realized who it was, I've never seen another smile reaching someone's eyes in a more literal way then hers.

"Oh my god! Tell me I'm hallucinating! Hermione and Crissy!" mum screamed. At once a pair of arms enveloped me into a breathless hug. I felt my daughter move forward to get some attention as well. In the meantime dad seemed to have heard his wife's commotion and came to investigate.

"Princess? Is that really you?"

"Yes dad," tears were welling in my eyes. This was too much for me. My daughter and I were enveloped in another group hug. At that moment mum realized that all this exchange was happening on our doorstep and decided we needed privacy and shoved everyone inside.

"Mum, dad, we're here to stay, at least for a while until I find a place for us." I tried to explain.

"You're staying here as long as you need. You and Crissy can go upstairs and freshen up a bit, than we need to talk." mum replied

"Of course, thanks mum. Thanks dad." I carried my angel upstairs and unshrunk her box of toys.


End file.
